Mark your calendars, Twins fans: Saturday, June 15, will be Joe Mauer Day at Target Field.
The Twins announced Tuesday that they will retire Mauer's No. 7 in a special ceremony before their 6:10 p.m. CT game against the Royals.
The first 20,000 fans at the game will also receive a Mauer No. 7 baseball cap.
Mauer, a Minnesota native, will become the eighth Twins player or manager to have his number retired, joining fellow franchise icons Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva, Kent Hrbek, Rod Carew, Kirby Puckett, Bert Blyleven and Tom Kelly.
• Twins' all-time retired numbers
The Twins surprised Mauer with the news that they'd be retiring his number in December, during a ceremony celebrating his career at his former high school in St. Paul.
Mauer played his entire 15-year career with Minnesota, which drafted him No. 1 overall in 2001. He won the American League MVP in '09, and he was a three-time batting champion, six-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glover and five-time Silver Slugger at catcher. One of the greatest players in Twins history, Mauer finished his career with a .306 batting average and 2,123 hits.
In addition to retiring Mauer's number in June, the Twins are planning a series of bobblehead giveaways throughout the season to commemorate Mauer's career. A different bobblehead will be given away at four home games -- May 24 against the White Sox, July 19 against the A's, Aug. 24 against the Tigers and Sept. 7 against the Indians -- with 10,000 given away at each game. Fans can buy the "Mauer Bobblehead Four-Pack" ticket packages, which cover all four games and also include an additional fifth bobblehead, starting Jan. 17 at 10 a.m. CT.